Penn Valley Paradise

Successive plantings around this home have transformed former unused lawn areas into refuges for pollinators and spaces where these loving residents convene with nature renewed. A rain garden on the side of the house slows stormwater from the uphill neighbor while a larger swale in the front yard captures water from the roof. We replaced a huge lawn area in the front with low maintenance shrubs, asters, and re-seeding perennials to reduce the need for mowing on the steep slope. The homeowner’s resolve for continued transformation to more ecological plantings has allowed us to introduce valuable native plantings for wildlife and the watershed while progressively removing invasive species - a model for us all!